The shielded are being told to stay home for another twelve weeks after the initial twelve weeks....AIBU to think this is going to increase the gap between disabled and non disabled?

[AlternativePerspective]

I know several on the shielded list who have now received additional letters from the government telling them that they are required to shield for an additional twelve weeks after the first twelve week shielding period expires.So that leaves the vulnerable shielding until September at the earliest,and I can only imagine this will increase as time goes on.

Now,in principle I can see why this is the advice,after all with no vaccine or proven treatment yet the vulnerable are still going to be at the greatest risk, but while when everyone was in lockdown everyone had to be taken into account re work etc,once lockdown starts to ease, employers are rightly going to be expecting people to go back to work,and realistically how is that going to affect someone who is shielded for the foreseeable future? Are employers, who are already looking at lost revenue, going to take that into account?

And people like me who are currently looking for work, does that mean I have to stay unemployed for the foreseeable as well?

I’ve seen a lot of posts on here from people saying that the shielded are selfish if they go out because they know they’re at greater risk so if they choose to go out then they’d be taking up a valuable bed if they get sick.

I can only foresee that this is going to make the divide between the disabled and the non disabled in this country bigger than it already is.

And what about people who live with someone who’s shielded? No point in the vulnerable person shielding if their dp goes to work. But how sympathetic will the partners employer be?

I’d be interested to know if obese people are on this official shielding list?

No, they're vulnerable not extremely vulnerable so not shielding.

And what about people who live with someone who’s shielded? No point in the vulnerable person shielding if their dp goes to work. But how sympathetic will the partners employer be?

You're not shielding, are you? The letter give specific guidance on this. No, the rest of the household does not need to shield but steps need to be taken.

It depends the whole household does have to shield if it’s impossible to follow the in house guidance. The letter clearly states that.

For example if children can’t keep two metres away or the shielding person needs personal care from their partner.

AldiAisleOfCrap scottish letter is slightly different. However, there seems to be a lot of people saying they can't follow the guidance when they actually just dont want to.

It's disruptive, it's horrible and it's isolating. But shielding an entire household helps no one unless it's a small child who is the shielded.

@JinglingHellsBells

I do understand social distancing perfectly- but perhaps I did not make it clear I was specifically referring to the fact that some people who are shielding may choose not to socially distance from family members who they do not live with (and that is ok, as long as those family members are in agreement and also happy to run the risks) for example, I know someone who is terminally ill and is still seeing close family members- with their agreement. Obviously, if they were out in public they should continue to practice social distancing. Sorry if that was not clear.

For example if children can’t keep two metres away or the shielding person needs personal care from their partner.

Where does it say this in the letter please? Personal care from external carers can still be given.

What about someone with a bmi in the 40s or 50s?

A BMI of 40 or over, was on the original list, but it's not on the latest one here:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

No, the rest of the household does not need to shield but steps need to be taken

Yes but those steps are brutal. It would be nothing short of an impossible, comical farce to isolate from your children within the home which is what becomes necessary when one person starts traveling in and out of the home.

I don't see why anyone is sceptical that someone who claims to be shielding is actually shielding, who the fuck would pretend, for what reason?

One thing is for sure, more should be done to assess the demographic of the shielded and those who live with them so the scale and nature of the challenges ahead can be considered.

I don't see why anyone is sceptical that someone who claims to be shielding is actually shielding, who the fuck would pretend, for what reason?

Theres a huge number on here every day who are being told they dont need to but they feel that xyz means they should. Many also think that their employers shoudlnt make them work and should pay them for not working.

Oh, and I'm a severe asthmatic and had a letter telling me to shield, I haven't just decided I should be shielding and I'm not fat - I think that covers the most recent insinuations.

There was a parent recently whose son didnt need to shield but she felt they were at risk so her partner shouldnt have to go to work.

On this thread?

FourTeaFallOut am I missing something? No one has suggested either of those things of you.

Theres a huge number on here every day who are being told they dont need to but they feel that xyz means they should. Many also think that their employers shoudlnt make them work and should pay them for not working.

I too don't understand why anyone would choose to follow the shielding guidelines unless they absolutely needed to. It's truly shit.

JacobReesMogadishu no obese people aren’t on it.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/people-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/whos-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/
I don’t work, DD does, she has been able so far to work from home so we are all able to keep DH safe. She thinks she will be able to continue indefinitely. DH has had support from his employers for last 3 years as to what he doesWork wise, so is very lucky. He also said that in cases where employees have partners shielding those staff will be looked after. I realise that is probably not the norm, but really hope that measures are put in place by government moving forward for all needing shielding. Maybe when furloughing is finished, they will concentrate on working out a long term strategy?

Just the vague wafting of the hand of posters who act incredulous that there are so many shielded on the thread and then wondering if we're all just obese.

Honestly, I don't know why I read these threads. There was one helpful thread, for fellow shielders, but this is full of the usual crap.

I am a shielded person. No, I am not disabled. But, as others have pointed out, I have a condition likely to give me a worse outcome if I get coronavirus (or any virus, come to that). Someone with a blue badge and, say, one leg, might do a whole lot better than me if covid strikes.

When the letters went out I saw much whingeing on here, "Whhhah, why haven't I got a letter/text?" It's not a prize, fgs! It's a warning about your susceptibility and outcome.

Now people are whining that there is some sort of punishment in being advised to shield. It's not an order. You can do what you like.

I have no complaints about the support. Government box (which is very generous - but I've seen people moaning about this - and no, I can't stop it without losing my online supermarket delivery!), calls from doctor and consultant, and the Tesco deliverers have been very kind and cheerful, calling ten minutes in advance to ask where I'd like stuff left. Pharmacy had no hesitation in delivering.

It's a bummer that I have this, and I don't know what will happen when the dcs and dh need to bust out into the outside world, but it's my problem to deal with.

People must be absolutely thick to think shielding is a house arrest imposed upon them and that realistically anything can be done about the situation as it currently stands.

FourTeaFallOut oh I see. I am both shielding and obese. But these things are unconnected.

People must be absolutely thick to think shielding is a house arrest imposed upon them and that realistically anything can be done about the situation as it currently stands.

Bearing in mind theres another thread running where parents think they should be furloughed and those currently furloughed without kids should be redeployed to their job, I dont think its unreasonable to expect the government to put something in place for the shielded. Even if that is only SSP.

Just the vague wafting of the hand of posters who act incredulous that there are so many shielded on the thread and then wondering if we're all just obese.

Not sure if that was (partly) aimed at me because I did ask about obesity. I wasn’t insinuating that the majority of shielded people are shielding because of obesity. I have a friend who is shielding post organ transplant. I was mainly wondering because in my small work team of 4 people 2 of them have a bmi over 40 and if they can’t come back to work for months I might have a nervous breakdown. . So good from a selfish point of view to hear people with a raised bmi aren’t shielded.

@JinglingHellsBells

” This might be the right time for you to re-think the type of work you do, and choose something - even with new training - that would enable you to work in an environment where you are not in close physical contact with other people.”

It isn’t easy in many areas to find a new job. It’s magnified by the economic crisis looming and Brexit. New training? Not cheap, takes time and no clear picture of what universities and colleges will be offering.

I feel this is the most ridiculous time to find a new career especially for those with serious health conditions.

Wow! I'll echo my concern that the shielded will become forgotten. Apart, of course, for being blamed for having to shield. God help us. Brave new world indeed.

Government box (which is very generous - but I've seen people moaning about this - and no, I can't stop it without losing my online supermarket delivery!)
You're lucky, they haven't turned up here for the last two weeks, and nobody knows why at the council.